I currently have a 2011 silverado crew 4x4 with 6.2L. Just bragging a little here - It will stomp an ecoboost in towing, 1/4 mile, and 0-60, but NOT at the gas pump. LOL!

I have looked at trading into something else because of the 13mpg in the city, but the price to upgrade far outweighs the fuel costs. My dad has new f250 that gets better gas mileage, but diesel costs and other maintenance costs with it outweigh the price of owning the 6.2L.

Bottom line, the 1/2 ton gasser is the best all around vehicle for daily drivers that don't tow for a living.

I am interested in the Ram with diesel. I won't buy a first year truck, but it could really be a winner if done correctly. I keep saying that someone needs to come out with a truck that can easily handle 7000lbs, be a good daily driver, and get good mpg. This could be it, who knows....

what is the added cost of maintaining a diesel? i change my oil once a year running Amsoil oil and amsoil filters $125.00. other than that fuel filter once a year $20 and spin on oil filter on the allison $10

Get the Dodge diesel, but I would recommend either looking at a 2012 (yes you can still find a few leftover new trucks out there, although they are slim pickings) since it doesn't have the DEF system. 2013 Cummins is now equipped with it, and as someone who had a 2011 F350 that was a nightmare because of it, I'd try to stay way from anything with it built in. My Ford had 55,000 miles on it when I got rid of it, and had been in the shop 7 or 8 times to have the DEF and DPF system fixed because they just don't work. Ford's are required to be in motion at a higher RPM before the system kicks on and actually cleans itself. So if you idle as much as you say you do you'll ruin the motor. I work oilfield and mine had roughly 3600 hours on the motor, so you could say I idled a lot LOL. My 2012 Dodge is head and shoulders above that Ford or my buddy's Chevy, plus you can usually get a much better price on one. I towed my 2013 RZ4 from south of Ft. Worth all the way up to Hot Springs on vacation and average 11.5 @ 75 with the cover off, 13 @ 75 with the cover on, not bad for a 3500 megacab dually 4x4 that normally averages 17.5 on the highway if I baby it. Plus the truck has an automatic cleaning mode, meaning that if it detects a carbon buildup in the DPF it will automatically idle itself up and blow out the exhaust on it's own without the need for DEF and hard driving like the Ford. Another buddy has a 2012 2500 crew with a DPF delete, EGR delete, and a XRT race tuner on a moderate tune(less than $2000) and gets 23 mpg on the highway consistently, and could probably get better if he slowed it down to 65. I wouldn't even consider a half ton truck with the weight of your boat, even if they are rated to easily handle it. Buy a bigger truck than you think you'll ever need and you won't feel the need to upgrade in the future, meaning you'll keep the truck longer and save money at the same time